Just glad to still be able to post here! Some good misdirections and had fun with the century oldies.

10:27 pm December 12, 2013

Cave Lady wrote:

Oh it's my birthday also today --- not like last year !2-12-12 --- I have been celebrating all week, and what happens at the end of the week --- we have a WSJ puzzle on Friday, Saturday and Monday --- what could be better? Shay - do you get the WSJ delivered --- if yes, you can register to blog --- I cannot believe that they would shut down the puzzle blog! If they do, I am sure we can work around it. I am registered, and have no problem with putting my email address out on the blog. Let us see what the chatter is tomorrow.

Ugh! most difficult WSJ puzzle ever. Too many blanks to even complain about them all. Hope others were equally stumped or it means i'm losing my mind.

12:25 am December 13, 2013

Merrilee wrote:

Fine puzzle. Thank you.

8:11 am December 13, 2013

Puzzled wrote:

Well, I'm posting once again when I said (more than once) that I was posting for the final time. Still, I felt I needed to respond to Cave Lady's most generous offer (over on the latest Snowflake blog) to forward postings to my email address. Given the nature of my subscription, I should be able to continue to read all postings and will almost certainly do so. But again, thank you so much for your kind offer. This additional post also permits me to extend belated Happy Birthday wishes to Cave Lady, Mr. Hillbilly Girl and I ain't 100, but it is my b-day. I'm reserving the right to continue to post for so long as I am able remain Puzzled.

Tim M -- My first run-through of this puzzle left me discouraged with far, far more blank than filled. But setting it aside a number of times helped me even more than usual and I finally finished it. Stick with it. It'll fall together. Except for 112A and only that one because of Merl Reagle's book, I didn't connect any of the theme answers with 1913 and got them only because of doable cross-clues.

9:14 am December 13, 2013

Randy wrote:

Puzzled - they updated the changes on Dec. 9, and joining Facebook was dropped as a requirement. Readers' comments such as yours expressing reservations about registering with social media are being taken seriously and acted upon.

9:17 am December 13, 2013

Zug wrote:

Can't say I like this puzzle creator---much prefer Randolph Ross or Alice Long; they make Friday mornings enjoyable. Today's I can do without.

9:19 am December 13, 2013

Randy wrote:

Tim M: as has been noted before, that's what happens when LONG "themes" - and I'm swallowing hard to say that this puzzle had a genuine theme, where "theme" implies some measure of internal clues--force the crossword software to create letter sequences that have increasingly obscure and/or arcane references. Yecch!

9:55 am December 13, 2013

Puzzled wrote:

Randy -- Thank you for the update. Although I would never go with Facebook, my primary objection to the new policy is the requirement that I use my real name. Some people don't object to that and that's their thing. It's whatever floats your boat I guess.

Cave Lady -- I may have misinterpreted your offer. You may have been offering your personal email to forward my posts so that I could remain anonymous -- still, a very kind proposal. For now I think I'll keep things as they are. But, again, I thank you. Though I doubt it, maybe my desire to post will overwhelm my desire to remain anonymous. For the time being at least, I remain Puzzled.

10:40 am December 13, 2013

Mad wrote:

BOOOO WAY too much trivia!

11:46 am December 13, 2013

Shay wrote:

Happy Birthday to Cave Lady, Mr. Hillbilly Girl and I ain't 100!

Cave Lady - cancelled the print edition last year when we lost our rural delivery guy and the post office started delivering after 5:00 p.m. (not good for a morning paper). Don't care much for reading articles online - so I'll just have to wait and see what transpires. Again, Happy B-day and Merry Christmas to all!

12:04 pm December 13, 2013

Zug wrote:

Finally finished, after more coffee. Everything fits well; but obscure clues, to say the least.

3:10 pm December 13, 2013

David wrote:

Thank you. I went through the Acrosses and thought I was a goner, but the Downs gave me enough letters to see the theme answers. Definitely more thought required to this one than most WSJ puzzles I have done. And what others here are calling "obscure", I call "original". Nothing contrived, just something to learn from--which I appreciate.

Careful... Geniuses at Work! One of the best 112As for the WSJ team. Thanks!

4:23 pm December 13, 2013

Homer wrote:

This was a bit of a tough puzzle for me. I did set it down a couple of times and came back to get some answers I never thought I'd get. I love when the answer can be figured out if I just think about long enough. Some answers I'll never get no matter how much I think about it, but it's satisfying when a tough answer finally dawns on me. I ended up Googling a few clues with this puzzle, which I try hard to avoid but in the end don't really mind admitting to. Even though it was a bit of a struggle to get through, it was all the more enjoyable when it was complete. I was especially pleased when I got 112A and realized why there was reason for a real celebration.

4:31 pm December 13, 2013

Leo wrote:

Great puzzle. A little tougher than usual but a good theme. Thanks, Ms. Lemot. Always glad to see your work.

5:16 pm December 13, 2013

Eb Major wrote:

Had to Bing about 3/4 of way through it, as usual. 87D ? Never heard that expression. My Dad would have been 100 years old this year. He had the usual attributes of the greatest generation.

6:28 pm December 13, 2013

Puzzled in PA wrote:

This was tough! I hit "Show Mistakes" a LOT earlier than I usually do. Agree that 112A was fun. Thanks for the history lesson.

8:22 pm December 13, 2013

JR wrote:

HB Cave lady, Mr. Hillbilly Girl and I ain't 100! I worked this puzzle on a flight today, pen and awkward folded WSJ in hand, got about half and am looking forward to my clean printed out version that I can re-tackle with no turbulence and lack of elbow room now that I'm home!

11:43 am December 14, 2013

AVP wrote:

Can someone tell me where to access this new puzzle policy you are all referring to? I get the WSJ delivered but no longer subscribe to the online edition once they took away the "deal" that offered online along with paper. NYTimes doesn't charge. Harrumph. I do not want to register on Facebook, etc. But would like to read exactly what is going on.
Happy 100th was the toughest one for me in many months. Too many pop-athletic-TV-movie names required.

12:17 pm December 14, 2013

Cave Lady wrote:

AVP --- click on "Learn more" in the red box just above Add a Comment.

1:20 pm December 14, 2013

Chuck wrote:

Not the usual theme but enjoyable and educational.

Think OREO cookies are also 100 tears old I beleive

4:45 pm December 14, 2013

loid wrote:

41 down? I don't get it.

5:02 pm December 14, 2013

Cave Lady wrote:

loid --- the goalie 'tends' the goal.

10:08 pm December 14, 2013

droll wrote:

puzzle sucked.

10:06 am December 15, 2013

Carol H wrote:

The things you can learn from doing crossword puzzles! Nice one.

12:10 pm December 15, 2013

billy wrote:

Tough one for me..... On to the Hartford Sunday Courant puzzle.

6:20 pm December 15, 2013

PAL wrote:

There are no new words, only new clues.

6:33 am December 20, 2013

jomac wrote:

41D tender spot? was "goal" ?? i had letters "oa" and put down "loan". made more sense to me

2:07 am January 4, 2014

Bdau wrote:

207

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About WSJ Puzzles

WSJ Puzzles is the online home for America’s most elegant, adventurous, and addictive crosswords and other word games. Try your hand at our traditional crossword on Fridays, from a roster of the nation’s best constructors. On Saturday you’ll find a rotating assortment of cryptics, acrostics and puzzles with ingenious new shapes, from puzzle-masters Emily Cox, Henry Rathvon, Patrick Berry, and Mike Shenk.